2019 AUA EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATORS WORKSHOP PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The 2019 American Urological Association (AUA) Early-Career Investigators Workshop (ECIW) will be held October 3-5 at AUA Headquarters in Linthicum, Maryland, near BWI Airport. The workshop will provide intense, individualized instruction for a group of 35 early-career investigators and late-stage trainees on how to prepare innovative and competitive research grant applications, primarily to the NIH with emphasis on grants in benign urology. The program specifically provides one-on-one and small-group instruction by NIH-funded senior scientists and advisors. This advising is customized to best fit the needs of the individual applicants and the range of their proposed research applications. This workshop serves as a catalyst to increase the quality of urologic research grant proposals submitted to the NIH, and continues the long-range strategic vision of the AUA to provide a series of workshops that are devoted to successful grant writing, strengthening of scientific careers, and developing an integrated community of urologic investigators to support interdisciplinary research. The Principal Investigator (PI), Carolyn J.M. Best, PhD, is AUA Director of Research. The Steering Committee consists of urologic research leaders, some of whom are PIs on NIDDK Multidisciplinary K12 Urologic Research (KURe) Career Development Programs: Aria Olumi, MD (Chair); Rosalyn Adam, PhD; Cindy Amundsen, MD; Linda Baker, MD; Wade Bushman, MD, PhD; Toby Chai, MD; Peter Clark, MD; Margot Damaser, PhD; Stephen Freedland, MD; Michael Hsieh, MD, PhD; Dolores Lamb, PhD; John Wei, MD; and Erika Wolff, PhD. All faculty possess exemplary records in NIH research funding and mentoring trainees. During the 2-day ECIW, faculty advisors will meet with participants to conduct evaluations of their grant applications. Advisors are matched to participants based on scientific area, to customize feedback on specific aims and methodologies of the proposed research. The program includes talks on key facets of grant writing, including, ?Tech/Software Tools for Grant Writing,? ?Identifying & Composing the Pieces of a Successful Research Grant Proposal,? ?Selling Yourself Through Your NIH Biosketch,? ?Establishing Effective Career Development Goals and Translation to Your Training Plan,? and a ?Specific Aims Writing Workshop.? Presentations on negotiations, collaboration, project management, mentoring, and career development from successful senior and mid-career investigators will also be provided. Advisors with experience on NIH study sections conduct mock critiques on previously NIH-reviewed grant applications during a Mock Review Panel.